<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>i'd love you to love me by foxwatson</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455719">i'd love you to love me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxwatson/pseuds/foxwatson'>foxwatson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bill &amp; Ted (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Frottage, M/M, Miscommunication, Valentine's Day Fluff, basically what we have here is uh, but i promise there's enough fluff to soothe any angsty wounds, it's Mostly Fluff word count wise, morons to lovers, so that these lovely boys can earn that morons to lovers tags akslmdf, some valentine's fluff with a hint of miscommunication angst for spice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:27:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,639</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455719</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxwatson/pseuds/foxwatson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bill asks Ted out to dinner for Valentine's Day, Ted happily says yes, most excited about the idea of their excellent first date. Only - nothing ever really goes according to plan, does it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ted "Theodore" Logan/Bill S. Preston Esq.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>88</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i'd love you to love me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>title credit to cheap trick's i want you to want me bc i love to listen to it and think about them</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Any other week, Bill’s casual, “Hey, do you wanna do anything on Friday?” would have been totally normal. He asks basically every week, after all, because he and Ted make plans basically every weekend.</p><p>Basically any other week, if he hadn’t asked, Ted would have. They’d go rent movies or go to the theater or at least go grab some snacks from the Circle K before they settled back in at their apartment to watch TV or a movie. They pretty much have standing weekend plans with each other, because it isn’t really like either of them have anyone else they’d rather hang out with.</p><p>The thing is - Bill says Friday, not Saturday or Sunday or “this weekend” - and this Friday is Valentine’s Day.</p><p>Ted usually kind of struggles to remember stuff like that, but it’s been impossible to forget while he’s working at the mall. There’s heart decorations everywhere, couples buying gifts and kissing around every corner. He knows this Friday is the 14th because he’s been waiting for it to pass - but now, here Bill is, trying to make plans with him for Valentine’s Day.</p><p>Blinking, Ted shakes his hair out of his face, convinced he’s missing something. “Like - this Friday, dude?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Bill tells him with an easy grin. “We could go get dinner at Capone’s or something and then go see a movie. I mean - we could just rent movies, but-”</p><p>With his heart beating hard in his chest, Ted shakes his head. He knows he’s flushing, probably, surprised as he is by the offer, but he’s smiling, too. “No, let’s - we should go out, dude. If you want to. Um - are you sure about the Italian place, though? It’ll probably be kind of crowded-”</p><p>Bill shrugs. “Yeah, but it’s your favorite. We could go to that new taco place instead-”</p><p>Ted shakes his head again, quickly. “No, I don’t mind. Let’s go to Capone’s. And go to the movies, like you said. It sounds most excellent, Bill.”</p><p>“Excellent,” Bill says, and they do a little air guitar together as Ted laughs.</p><p>With everything settled, Bill stands up from the couch, heading into the kitchen to grab a drink - but as he passes, Ted grabs his wrist to stop him. Bill stops, and looks down at Ted, his brow furrowed in confusion. Ted just smiles, and stands up to kiss him softly on the cheek before he ducks his head and walks over to the kitchen. “Thanks, Bill. I’ll get the drinks, if you want.”</p><p>“Yeah, I uh - okay,” Bill says - and when Ted looks back at him, he’s flushed, but smiling softly. He sits back down on the couch, so fast it’s almost like he falls back onto it, and Ted laughs as he watches. Bill laughs, too, and they grin at each other for a minute before Ted finally walks into the kitchen and leans into the fridge - to get the drinks, and to cool his own face off a little.</p><p>The rest of the night, he sits a little closer to Bill on the couch, and by the time Star Trek is over, they’re sitting close enough that Bill’s arm, up on the back of the couch, is resting right behind Ted’s shoulders.</p><p>All week, Ted keeps thinking about Friday and getting giddy about it, his stomach fluttering. He spends half of his work shifts smiling so much that people keep asking him what’s going on, and all he can think to do is shrug and smile even harder, still thinking about Bill and their date at the end of the week.</p><p>Because the thing is - Bill didn’t say it was a date, but they’ve never gone out for Valentine’s before without the princesses. For the past couple of years, they’ve stayed in and just watched action movies, eaten snacks and treated it like any other night.</p><p>Now they’re not just going out, either - they’re going to the best Italian place in town, and going to the movies after. They almost never go out to eat, and when they do it’s usually for something special. Ted can’t think of another reason Bill would go to all this trouble, or ask him about it specifically, and every time he thinks of all the thought and care that went into it, the fact that Bill must have planned to ask him, he gets giggly about it all over again.</p><p>Thursday, Bill has a shift while Ted is still at home, and Ted takes the chance to plan out what he’s going to wear. He doesn’t have anything too nice - and he doesn’t want to wear a suit if Bill’s not going to, and end up most overdressed. Instead, he pulls out his nicer black vest, makes sure he has a flannel shirt that isn’t wrinkled, and sets aside a nicer pair of pants so they don’t get wrinkled or messed up before Friday night.</p><p>He looks at the whole outfit, hanging up together, and thinks about wearing it for Bill, hoping that he’ll like it. He has to shake out his hands to get the extra excitement out, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet before he falls back onto his bed.</p><p>He’s thought before about going out with Bill - or at least kissing him, and what it might be like. He’d even thought, miserable and working his shifts surrounded by the decorations, about how nice it would be to spend Valentine’s day with Bill for real.</p><p>Ted never really thought he would get it, though. He definitely never thought he’d get so lucky that Bill would be the one to ask him instead of the other way around.</p><p>All day Friday, it’s basically all he can think about. He messes up multiple times at work, getting so distracted, but fortunately nobody gets too mad at him, because everyone seems to be caught up in the holiday. Nothing can really keep him from smiling pretty much the whole day, because even the people that do get annoyed can’t change the fact that Ted has a date tonight - a date <em> with Bill</em>.</p><p>When he gets home, Bill is already sitting on the couch, looking most handsome in a pair of dark jeans and a cropped sweatshirt. Ted smiles at the sight of him, and leans back against the door for a second as he closes it, feeling overwhelmed in only the best way.</p><p>“Hey, dude,” Bill says, smiling up at him. “You wanna head out soon?”</p><p>Ted nods, happily, and pushes off the door. “Just let me get changed first, dude.”</p><p>“Okay, dude,” Bill agrees eagerly.</p><p>With just a quick wiggle of his shoulders, Ted rushes into the bedroom and goes to his closet to put on the outfit he planned out. He rolls up the sleeves on the flannel, just so he doesn’t get too warm, and shakes out his hair in the mirror, and smiles to himself as he tugs at his vest. The thing is - it’s not like Bill hasn’t seen him in his pajamas every night for the past few years, not to mention at all their other sleepovers the whole time they’ve known each other. Ted just wants to look nice tonight, for him, and for their first official date.</p><p>His stomach swoops again at the thought, and Ted laughs a little, biting his lip as smoothes his hands over his vest again and tries to get some of his nerves out.</p><p>Really - it’s just dinner with Bill, the same way it is every night, and every weekend. Everything will be great, he knows that. He’s just excited.</p><p>After only a little more wiggling in the quiet of their bedroom, Ted steps out of the bedroom and tucks his hands together behind his back. “You wanna head over there, dude?” he asks Bill, barely able to hide his smile or his blush.</p><p>Bill nods, and stands up, stretching his arms out over his head. “Yeah, totally. You’re probably hungry after work, right?”</p><p>Honestly, Ted’s stomach is so full of butterflies he can hardly imagine eating a heavy meal - but he knows he should be hungry, and he probably will be once he relaxes a little, so he just nods. “Yeah, excited for Capone’s,” he says back, and he watches Bill’s slow smile in answer.</p><p>“Let’s go, then.” Reaching out, Bill tugs on Ted’s sleeve as he passes, brushing his fingers down over Ted’s wrist and his hand before he pulls away. “You look nice, dude,” he says as he walks past, and all Ted can really do is smile at the back of his head as he walks through the door.</p><p>“You do, too, Bill,” Ted tells him as he follows. His eyes move over Bill’s curls, and the nice way he’s got them styled, the neatly cropped hem of this sweatshirt, the small of his back above the top of his jeans, and then he feels a little warm again and has to glance away.</p><p>“Well I know Capone’s is kind of nice, I didn’t wanna look - totally out of place, you know.” Bill laughs a little, snorting, and he turns back over his shoulder to glance at Ted as they head down the stairs towards their van. “Not like that time we tried to go right after we moved in, and we were all like - covered in paint still, but we were so hungry we didn’t wanna shower first.”</p><p>Ted laughs, and stumbles along behind Bill. “Yeah and they totally wanted to kick us out, but your dad was paying, so they couldn’t.”</p><p>They’re both still giggling as they hop in the van - and Ted already feels way less nervous than he did up in the apartment, or planning out his outfit the day before. Hanging out with Bill is just so easy, no matter what. He never runs out of things to say, and they can always make each other laugh without even trying. It feels so much better than any other date Ted’s ever been on, and they’ve hardly gotten started.</p><p>The restaurant is pretty crowded as they pull up - but it seems like they got there early enough there should be some tables left. </p><p>As it turns out, they don’t even have to wait. They do get a small table, tucked in a corner, but Ted doesn’t mind the cramped space. They’re sitting so close their knees knock under the table, and he can barely keep his feet from bumping into Bill’s, but there’s decorations up on all the walls and the whole thing feels so undeniably date-like that Ted’s stomach starts fluttering again.</p><p>“Happy Valentine’s Day, gentlemen. What can I get you to drink?” the waiter asks as he comes over to greet them, and Ted asks happily for a water - but he notices that for a second, Bill looks sort of flustered.</p><p>It’s only once the waiter leaves that he realizes why.</p><p>Bill laughs, and ducks his head, and Ted can’t help but ask - “What is it, dude?”</p><p>“I totally forgot it was Valentine’s Day, dude! No wonder you said it was gonna be crowded tonight. I guess I had the dates mixed up.”</p><p>Grinning, he glances up like he’s waiting for Ted to laugh with him - but Ted’s heart drops into his stomach like a stone, and he feels cold all over. “You didn’t like - know?”</p><p>His brow furrowing, almost like he’s concerned, Bill shakes his head. “No, dude, I just - I guess I wasn’t really thinking about it, you know?” When Ted still doesn’t say anything, Bill nudges their feet together under the table again. “Ted, hey, did you not know either? Do you wanna go home?”</p><p>The fluttering in Ted’s stomach turns into plain nausea, and he swallows against it, shaking his head before he ducks forward to try and hide behind his hair. Some part of him is so embarrassed he really does want to go home - but he knows that’s dumb, when he and Bill can still have a nice time, and they need to eat dinner, and they’re already here in the restaurant. It would look strange if they leave. He feels overdressed, and a little uncomfortable, and - so silly it kind of hurts, just a little bit, but he knows he only has himself to blame for that. He shouldn’t have assumed when Bill never specified anything about a date. “We can stay. I just - remembered cause of work, I guess. It doesn’t bother me.” Then Ted has another thought, and his stomach clenches again, and he tries not to wince. “Unless you wanna go. If this is too weird for you, dude, when you didn’t remember-”</p><p>“No, it’s okay,” Bill says softly. He reaches across the table, and nudges Ted’s arm. “Dude, are you sure you’re feeling alright?”</p><p>“I think I’m just hungry,” Ted mumbles, and he lifts his head just to try and give Bill a smile.</p><p>It doesn’t look like he’s totally convinced, but still, Bill smiles back at him, carefully, and knocks his knuckles against Ted’s. “If you say so, dude. Just say the word and we can go home if you want.”</p><p>Ted nods, and decides not to say anything else, convinced Bill will just see through him. Again, he wonders if he should just admit now that he kind of wants to go back to the apartment, because it’s not like Bill will push him for an explanation. He doesn’t have to know that Ted thought, stupidly, that this was actually a date for Valentine’s Day. They don’t have to talk about it. It’s just - somehow going home seems even sadder, like he’d just end up going to bed early to try and avoid Bill out of embarrassment and end up making things worse in the process. Here, at least he can distract himself in the restaurant, and maybe he can forget it’s Valentine’s Day again after all. This can just be like any other dinner with Bill, and they’ll go see a movie, and things can just be normal.</p><p>It’s hard to stay distracted, though, when everyone at every other table around them is a couple on a date. People keep laughing, and kissing, and holding hands, and all Ted can do is pull his own legs back to his own side of the table, trying to tuck himself into the corner to keep his distance, and pick at the edge of the tabletop to keep his hands occupied.</p><p>“You wanna play some paper football or something?” Bill asks eventually while they wait for their food.</p><p>Feeling like he’d be egregiously distracted and especially bad at the game, Ted shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. Sorry I’m - I guess I’m just feeling kind of heinous right now, dude. Maybe the food will help.”</p><p>Bill’s hand moves to Ted’s side of the table again like an offer, but feeling flustered and embarrassed, overly aware of all the couples around them, Ted doesn’t reach out and take it. After a moment, Bill pulls his hand back.</p><p>“Okay,” Bill says softly. “I hope it does, dude. But like I said if - if you wanna go home just tell me.”</p><p>Ted nods again. The more Bill offers, for some reason, the worse it makes Ted feel - the more he feels like he needs to do a better job of trying to appreciate what he can get.</p><p>Thankfully, the food gets there not long after that, and Ted finally feels like he has a distraction from the awkwardness that’s fallen over them. He’s still not very hungry with his stomach all tied up in knots - but eating does seem to help settle everything a little bit.</p><p>“So um - how was work today, dude?” Bill finally asks, clearly feeling strange about how quiet they’ve both been.</p><p>Unfortunately, Ted can’t think about his shift without thinking about how excited he’d been for tonight. His chest aches, and he ducks behind his hair, taking an extra long time to chew his food, just to give himself time to think. “It wasn’t bad,” he says finally, tapping his free hand against the edge of the table. “I guess a lot of people were kind of - in a good mood cause of the holiday and everything, so people didn’t care if I messed anything up. Or - maybe if they were already having a bad day it kind of didn’t matter. Or maybe I just didn’t notice.”</p><p>For a minute or two, they go back to eating silence. Then Bill clears his throat and mumbles, “I feel kind of - bogus I didn’t realize it was today.”</p><p>Ted’s shoulders tense up. “Well - why dude? It’s not-” Ted stumbles over his words a little, trying to reassure Bill and change the subject all at once. “I mean it’s not like it matters, dude. We would have been hanging out anyways, right?”</p><p>There’s another awkward pause, and Ted tenses up more, but finally Bill mumbles a quiet, “I guess,” to agree, and they both go back to eating quietly.</p><p>Of course, because it’s Valentine’s Day, the waiter winks at them when he brings them the check - and just brings them one, shared. Bill reaches for it almost without hesitating, and Ted reaches out to stop him just a moment too late.</p><p>“You don’t have to do that, dude,” he insists, shaking his head a little.</p><p>Bill looks up, and frowns a little. “Well - since I asked, I’ll just get it, okay? Especially since I - made you come out for dinner on Valentine’s and everything.”</p><p>“I mean you didn’t <em> make </em> me. I knew what day it was when I told you yes, dude,” Ted reminds him, and then immediately feels embarrassed by it. He tucks his hands under the table and starts to fidget, nervously playing with his bracelets. “But I can just - get the movie later or - dinner some other time to pay you back.”</p><p>Bill sighs, but stays ducked over the receipt. “Yeah, okay.”</p><p>He looks so handsome, still, in the dim romantic lighting of the restaurant. His curls are all golden, and they look - really excellently beautiful tonight, especially. He styled them so just a few tumble onto his forehead, and Ted wants to reach out and flick one, try to make Bill laugh and make him feel better, but now it would feel too familiar. Anything like that they do now, everyone here is going to assume they’re out as a couple - and that was one thing when Ted thought it was true, but now he feels embarrassed by the idea. If he were really here with Bill, like that, he’d be proud and happy to hold his hand, pleased to have other people see them together and know - now, instead, he’d just feel strange to have so many people make the same assumption he did, when he was wrong.</p><p>Bill didn’t mean anything by it. They’re friends - best friends, like they always have been, and while it’s nice that Bill doesn’t mind what other people think of them, Ted would be all too aware that he doesn’t exactly deserve to have people think he’s Bill’s boyfriend when he’s not.</p><p>When they finally leave, the cooler night air outside is a relief. With all the people there, crowded together, and the way Ted had been feeling, the restaurant had started to feel stuffy in a way it never has before. He’s glad to be out again, and away from all the waiters and the decorations and the other couples.</p><p>“Do you still - wanna go to the movies?” Bill asks, watching Ted while they stand together by the van.</p><p>With fresh air in his lungs, and food in his stomach, Ted really does feel better. Sure, there will be couples at the movies, but he and Bill can sit up front and ignore them like always. They’ll share candy and make jokes and it won’t feel so weird. He pauses so long to think, though, that before he manages to answer, Bill speaks first.</p><p>“Cause I - if it’s okay, dude, I think I kind of wanna just go home.”</p><p>Ted blinks, and his stomach sinks again. He nods, though, without hesitating. “Oh - of course, dude. If that’s what you wanna do.”</p><p>Bill nods, but he won’t look up - and Ted realizes, slowly, that maybe he’s been a heinous best friend for the night.</p><p>“Dude - Bill, wait, I-” Ted reaches out and grabs Bill’s hand, squeezing it tightly in his, trying to keep him close. “I’m sorry if I - messed up dinner. I didn’t mean to.”</p><p>Looking up, Bill frowns at him, but he squeezes Ted’s hand back as he shakes his head. “No, dude, it’s not your fault. I just-” He laughs, awkwardly, and glances away again. “I guess there were too many people and stuff, right? I never would have asked if I’d have thought about it more-”</p><p>Ted winces, squeezing Bill’s hand again on accident, and he pulls back again quickly. “No, I know, dude. It’s okay.”</p><p>“Ted,” Bill says softly, stepping closer and trying to catch Ted’s eyes. “Dude, are you sure you’re okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m-” Ted’s voice catches, just a little, and he squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment. He feels bad that he couldn’t just be normal during dinner and make things fun for Bill - but he got so stuck in his own head. Now, he knows that Bill deserves an explanation. “I know you - wouldn’t have. But - I got confused cause I thought - I thought you asked me out for Valentine’s on purpose, dude,” Ted mutters, practically whispering by the end.</p><p>“Huh?” Bill says, clearly confused.</p><p>Ted knows he changed the subject too fast, so he closes his eyes tighter and sighs, trying to explain better. “When you asked about tonight, I thought you picked Valentine’s on purpose, dude. I didn’t know that you didn’t know. And then I guess I just - didn’t know how to treat it like normal anymore cause I planned all week like it was - you know, for Valentine’s. And then I just felt silly, I guess, that I assumed. I’m sorry, Bill.”</p><p>“Oh,” Bill says softly.</p><p>Nodding, Ted goes over to the passenger side door, still hanging his head. “Sorry. Again.”</p><p>“Well you don’t gotta be sorry, Ted, I - I did ask you to dinner on Valentine’s Day, it was a most reasonable assumption.”</p><p>Miserable, Ted shakes his head. “You don’t have to say that. You just said you wouldn’t have, dude, if you’d have realized. I should have known that. I should have asked better.”</p><p>“Ted,” Bill says - and his voice gets rough, clearly overwhelmed, and Ted can’t make himself look over at him. “Dude I meant - I only meant I wouldn’t have had our first date on Valentine’s Day. The restaurant was so crowded, and I know you usually like it better when there’s less people, I should have - planned things better and stuff. I didn’t mean - Ted I never meant <em> that </em>.”</p><p>“You-” Ted’s heart picks up, and he whips his head around, locking eyes with Bill. Bill’s brow is all furrowed, his eyes wide, mouth pulled down because he’s so obviously upset about what Ted said - but Ted can hardly believe it. “It was a date?”</p><p>“Well it was - supposed to be,” Bill admits, looking down at his feet. “I guess I screwed it up even worse than I thought, dude. I just thought you were feeling bogus, I didn’t - if I thought you didn’t know-”</p><p>Shaking his head, Ted turns and throws his arms around Bill’s shoulders, pulling him into a hug. “It’s not your fault, Bill. It’s okay, dude.”</p><p>Bill’s arms wrap tight around his waist, and he presses his face against Ted’s neck. “But our first date was bogus, Ted,” he mumbles sadly.</p><p>Shoving gently at Bill’s shoulders, Ted pulls back enough to smile, and to shake his head. “Dude, it’s not over yet! Just cause we kind of - messed up the first part, it doesn’t mean we have to just give up. We could go to the movies or - we could even just go have a movie night at home, dude. Just us, then, and nobody else to interrupt or anything.”</p><p>“But I wanted to do something special for you, dude,” Bill tells him, still frowning. “I wanted our first date to be - different, you know?”</p><p>“But it is, dude,” Ted insists, finally reaching up to flick at one of Bill’s curls, enough to make him break into a laugh. “It’s special cause it’s you. Cause it’s - us, together, and there’s nobody else I’d wanna spend Valentine’s with. And dinner was still most delectable, even if I was kind of bummed out.”</p><p>That, too, makes a genuine smile break out over Bill’s face. “I’m glad, dude.”</p><p>Ted smiles back at him and brushes both of his hands over Bill’s shoulders, up to the back of his neck. “I was excited all week, dude, just about going on a date with you. It doesn’t matter like - what we do. If you wanna go home, we can just watch TV or whatever, and I’ll be happy.”</p><p>As he looks up, Bill’s expression softens, his eyes going all hooded as he rubs up and down over Ted’s back. “I’m sorry I almost ruined it, Ted.”</p><p>Curling forward, Ted presses his forehead against Bill’s. “No way, Bill. If you did, I did, too. And it’s fine, now, as long as we don’t let it get ruined.”</p><p>“Okay,” Bill says quietly, and he follows it with a kiss pressed just gently against Ted’s cheek. “Do you wanna go to the movies? It might be kind of crowded, too.”</p><p>Even though Ted had thought he was up for it after dinner, the careful way Bill asks makes him pause to really check in with himself. He is feeling a little sensitive now, after their conversation, and the way everything went at dinner makes him hesitate to be around a bunch of other couples - even if now he’d feel better being affectionate with Bill in front of everyone, they can do that any time. Tonight - the idea of going home, getting comfortable with Bill on the couch, watching a familiar movie but in a whole new context, that all sounds so much nicer.</p><p>Squeezing his arms around Bill, Ted shakes his head. “Let’s just go home, dude. I just wanna watch a movie with you and - not have to worry about any of that stuff. Maybe if the drive-in was open right now-”</p><p>“We’ll just have to go when they open again, dude,” Bill tells him, and Ted can hear the smile in his voice. He gets to see it, too, as Bill pulls back and catches his hands, tangling their fingers together instead of totally pulling away.</p><p>“Like another date?” Ted asks.</p><p>“I think we’re gonna go on a lot of dates, Ted,” Bill says, with his grin quirking up on one side, turning into something closer to a smirk.</p><p>Ted’s heart flutters in his chest, and he smiles back, squeezing at Bill’s hands. “Sounds good, Bill, my friend. Or-” Feeling his face heat up, Ted steps a little closer again. “Boyfriend?”</p><p>“Boyfriend,” Bill answers, his smile getting even wider - and he presses that smile against Ted’s jaw before he finally pulls away enough to walk around to the other side of the van.</p><p>“Boyfriend,” Ted repeats, and he nudges his shoulder against the van door as he smiles down at his shoes. He laughs, and shakes his hands out a little, and then opens the door to hop back in his seat, tapping his feet against the floor and his drumming out a little beat with his fingertips on his thigh.</p><p>“Well, Ted, my most esteemed boyfriend, should we stop at Circle K or Blockbuster before we go home to have the side B of this date? Or should we just watch something at home?”</p><p>Bill’s little side B joke makes him giggle, almost as much as Bill calling him his boyfriend does. Ted smiles and settles his hands on his own knees, squeezing to stop himself fidgeting. “Well, Bill,  my most excellent boyfriend - Blockbuster has probably been heinously picked over for date movies, and we can always just watch Star Wars at home. But we could stop for slushies first.”</p><p>Nodding, Bill starts the van and starts to back out of their parking space. “A most triumphant plan.”</p><p>So they drive by the Circle K, grab their drinks and some snacks. As it turns out, the Circle K is totally dead, and way more empty than usual. Apparently it’s not a popular spot for Valentine’s Day - so just to make sure their slushies don’t melt, they pop open the back doors of the van and sit down there beside each other with their frozen drinks.</p><p>It’s basically impossible to see the stars from the parking lot with all the lights around, but Ted looks up at the sky anyways, scooting over to rest his head on Bill’s shoulder as he stares up at the moon in the darkness.</p><p>“This is nice,” Ted says softly, before he slurps loudly from his slushie and makes himself giggle.</p><p>Bill laughs, too, but he slips his arm around Ted, and holds him close. “It is,” he agrees.</p><p>“It’s kind of funny, though, like - this is where we first met Rufus, and he told us about our destinies and stuff and now we’re here on our first date, you know?”</p><p>Nodding, Bill hums. “Many excellent firsts for one Circle K parking lot, dude.”</p><p>Ted giggles again as he sits up, lifting his head so he can turn and look at Bill. His hair still looks excellent, even in the parking lot lights - but when Ted glances over his face, he realizes Bill’s lips are stained from his slushie. “Dude, your mouth is all purple,” Ted tells him, reaching up to rub just at the corner.</p><p>Turning, Bill grins back at him and wrinkles his nose. “Dude, yours is, too.” He laughs as he reaches up - but he brushes his thumb all the way across Ted’s bottom lip, and Ted shivers with it. Bill’s hand is so warm where his mouth is still cold, and he purses his lips just slightly, kissing at the tip of Bill’s thumb.</p><p>When Ted looks away from Bill’s mouth, he finds that Bill’s just staring at his, now, head tilted, like he’s thinking about leaning in for a kiss. Ted pushes his hand around to the back of Bill’s neck and scoots in closer, but Bill doesn’t move.</p><p>“Was gonna wait til we got home to kiss you, dude,” Bill says quietly, like he knows Ted’s thinking about it, too.</p><p>Ted’s stomach swoops, and he grabs Bill’s free hand, squeezing it tightly in his. “Yeah but - if you don’t wait we can have another first here, dude. It’s kind of nice, isn’t it? Like - a movie or a song or something.”</p><p>“You’re right, Ted,” Bill says with a smile. He looks up enough to meet Ted’s eyes, then nudges in so close their noses are brushing, and they can’t really keep eye contact any more. “You’re so smart, dude.”</p><p>The compliment makes Ted even more flustered, but before he can get out a nervous laugh, Bill presses their lips together. It’s a soft kiss - and Bill’s mouth is still cold from the slushie, just like Ted’s, so it’s hard to feel everything. Ted pulls back, and laughs a little, and touches the tip of his tongue to Bill’s bottom lip. “Your mouth’s still all cold,” he mumbles.</p><p>“So’s yours,” Bill tells him - and Ted can feel the way he smiles when he leans in for another kiss. Their tongues touch, and Teds shivers with it, the cold press and the slight taste of cherry and blue raspberry all mixed together.</p><p>As they keep kissing, Bill’s mouth starts to warm up again, pressed there against Ted’s. Bill kisses him so carefully, like he’s totally focused on doing it right, and Ted never wants to move again, so caught up in the motion of their lips and the quiet sounds of it all in the deserted parking lot.</p><p>Eventually, his wrist starts to hurt where he’s been leaning on it awkwardly, and he has to pull back to shake out his hand, laughing quietly. “Sorry - I was kind of leaning on it funny, dude.”</p><p>“It’s okay, dude,” Bill tells him, scooting closer and pressing his face against Ted’s shoulder, warm cheek pressed against the fabric of Ted’s flannel. “We should probably go home anyways, just in case.”</p><p>Ted nods, but he puts his hand back down, sliding it over to nudge against Bill’s. “You’re probably right.” Instead of hopping up, though, he glances up at the sky again, and hooks just his pinky over Bill’s. “Just - in a minute.”</p><p>“Okay,” Bill says softly, and he kisses at Ted’s shoulder over his shirt, just enough of a press that Ted can feel it, and he catches it right out of the corner of his eye. He flushes a little, and leans his head over against Bill’s in response, grinning as he nudges their temples together.</p><p>After a little while longer of just sitting close and watching the sky, Bill hops down out of the van, and he helps Ted out, too. They close up, finish their slushies, and take the rest of their snacks back to their apartment to settle in.</p><p>Bill falls onto the couch as soon as they’re back, but Ted stands up, glancing over at their movies, and then back at Bill. He wants to get comfortable, and settle in for the night, but he’s kind of uncomfortable now in his date clothes. He shifts back and forth on his feet long enough that Bill looks up, his brow furrowed.</p><p>“Still good, Ted?”</p><p>Tilting his head, Ted shrugs. “Yeah, I just - is it gonna mean the date’s over if I put on my pajamas instead? I wanna get comfy if we’re gonna stay in for the rest of the night, dude.”</p><p>“Hm,” Bill says, frowning and crossing his arms. He looks over at the wall, and then back up at Ted, a smile breaking over his face. “I think the date doesn’t end until we say it does, dude. It’s not like I can - drop you home when we live together.”</p><p>Ted laughs. “I mean, you could walk me to my bed I guess.”</p><p>Bill flushes a little, and they grin at each other. “Well - in that case I guess pajamas are a good plan, dude. Let’s both get changed.”</p><p>Nodding, Ted leads the way into the bedroom, and Bill follows behind him, nudging gently at his hip as he steps in close.</p><p>Just like they always do when they happen to be changing at the same time, they go to their own sides of the room and keep their backs turned. But - just like always, Ted peeks over his shoulder just to watch Bill take his shirt off, the way he always does it with one arm stretched behind his head, hand fisted in the fabric.</p><p>Ted changes into his pajama bottoms, then gets caught up in his shirt as he turns around - and when he finishes pulling it over his head, he shakes his hair out of the way and finds Bill watching him, too. He watches Bill go all pink in the face again, and he laughs.</p><p>Even though he knows they still have a movie to watch, he can’t help himself when he goes over and cradles Bill’s face in his hands, ducking down to press another soft kiss against his mouth.</p><p>“Ted,” Bill says softly, reaching up to wrap his own hands around Ted’s wrists.</p><p>“Yeah?” Ted whispers back.</p><p>“I’m just - really glad you’re having a good time, dude.”</p><p>Warmth spreads up through his chest, and Ted bites his lip against a grin, nudging his nose forward against Bill’s. “I’m having, like, the best time, dude. You took me for dinner, and slushies. We should watch a movie you like, since you put so much into planning and stuff before it got messed up.”</p><p>“What about something we both like, dude?” Bill suggests, pressing his smile against Ted’s jaw. “You said Star Wars earlier, I still think that sounds like a triumphant first date film.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” Ted agrees, nodding before he grabs Bill’s hands and tugs him back into the living room.</p><p>He sits down on the couch, and Bill says “I’ll get the snacks and put the tape in, dude, just wait there.”</p><p>While Bill’s doing that, Ted gets a little nervous again about watching the movie. At the theater, he might have been able to push the armrest up out of the way so Bill knew he wouldn’t mind curling up close. He also could have suggested sitting in the back and Bill might have agreed, so they both would have known they weren’t just there to watch the movie. Now, though, it’s just their couch, and they’ve spent kind of a long time sitting pretty far apart - except for the last time Bill put his arm around Ted’s shoulders.</p><p>And Ted doesn’t mind just that, if that’s all Bill wants to do for their first date - but if Bill wants to sit closer, or distract him with kisses, they’ve both seen Star Wars at least twenty times, so it’s not like they’d miss anything.</p><p>Carefully, Ted scoots towards the center of the couch and spreads out his legs, so wherever Bill sits he’ll still be close.</p><p>When Bill comes back, though, it isn’t a problem at all. He turns on the TV, and puts in the tape, and then sits down right beside Ted, pressed close along his side from shoulder to knee. Ted leans gratefully against his side, soaking in the warmth, and closes his eyes as the familiar music starts to play and the opening scroll begins.</p><p>Soon, though, Bill nudges him with his elbow. “Hey, Ted,” he whispers, almost like they’re in a real theater.</p><p>Ted giggles a little and ducks his head down. “What, dude?” he whispers back.</p><p>“Well - since we’re at home, you wanna uh-” Bill clears his throat. “I mean we could lay down on the couch. Just if you wanted to. But - we don’t have to, dude. I know it’s just the first date.”</p><p>Feeling his face heat up, Ted laughs again, nervous, and ducks his head. He rubs his hands over his legs, and nods, hard enough he’s sure Bill can see it. “Yeah, okay. It’s not - I mean I don’t know any rules about like - <em> cuddling </em> on the first date anyways, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, me neither,” Bill says with a grin. He flops over on the couch, curling up against the cushions, behind Ted’s back. Then when Ted turns to look down at him, Bill lifts an arm up and just smiles at him, eyes shining and nose as pink as his cheeks. “C’mere, dude.”</p><p>“Okay,” Ted says softly, and he lays down in front of Bill, shifting around until he can feel Bill pressed close against him. Bill’s arm wraps around his waist, and Ted closes his eyes, feeling the way Bill’s stomach shifts against him as he breathes.</p><p>It’s a lovely, quiet moment - and then there’s a loud noise from the TV, and Ted realizes as he opens his eyes that Bill’s face is pressed against the middle of his back.</p><p>Laughing, he shifts around and settles on his back, face turned towards Bill. “Dude you can’t see like that. Just - lay on me or something, then we can both see.”</p><p>Bill hooks one leg over Ted’s knees and then hesitates, blinking at him. “You sure, dude?”</p><p>“Totally,” Ted tells him with a nod and a smile.</p><p>“Okay,” Bill says. Then, slowly, he lifts himself up and lays down on Ted’s chest.</p><p>With Bill on top of him like this, they’re totally pressed together, basically head to toe. Their legs are all tangled, one of Bill’s between both of Ted’s, and Bill’s arms are tucked against his sides, hands close against his waist.</p><p>Ted can feel Bill’s heartbeat, and the motion of him breathing. Even just the weight of his body pressed on top of Ted’s like this is so warm and comforting and perfect that Ted sort of never wants to move again. He places a hand on Bill’s back, arm around his shoulders, and uses his other free hand to take one of Bill’s in his, tangling their fingers together, too.</p><p>“You comfortable, dude?” Ted asks, mumbling it into Bill’s hair.</p><p>“Mm, yeah, actually,” Bill says quietly, rubbing his cheek against Ted’s chest. “You’re a most comfortable cushion, dude. Far superior to the couch.”</p><p>Ted laughs, and Bill laughs too as he moves with it. There’s a kind of easy comfort to the whole thing, so when Ted looks back at the TV and realizes Luke finally showed up, he lets himself actually pay attention again.</p><p>Even with his head turned, Ted can still brush his fingers up and down Bill’s back as they watch, tracing the line of his spine over his pajama shirt. He can reach up and play with Bill’s curls, too, just brushing through them gently before he moves away again - until Bill makes a little noise, and Ted pushes a hand back into his hair, hiding his smile there, too.</p><p>All through the movie, the steady pace of Bill’s breath and his heartbeat, the way he relaxes on top of Ted, so spread out and sleepy, all of it makes Ted relax, too. By the time they’re first escaping the Death Star, Ted has his eyes closed, just listening to the movie rather than watching, paying more attention to how much he loves having Bill so close like this.</p><p>“Dude, are you falling asleep?” Bill mumbles, nudging him in the side.</p><p>“Mm, no,” Ted mumbles back, opening his eyes and smiling.</p><p>Bill’s lifted up over him, propped up on one hand beside Ted’s head, hovering close over Ted’s face. His eyes are so green in the warm lamp light of their living room, his hair so gold, and he looks so handsome all soft and sleepy in his pajamas like this that Ted can hardly stand it. He reaches up and pushes his fingers through Bill’s curls again.</p><p>“Ted,” Bill says softly.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>Leaning down close, Bill just shakes his head. “Can’t go to sleep before I kiss you goodnight, dude.”</p><p>“Okay,” Ted mumbles, sliding his hand up from Bill’s hand, over his arm to toy with the hem of his sleeve. He closes his eyes again, and parts his lips as he waits for Bill to kiss him.</p><p>After just a second or two, Bill lays back down and presses his mouth to Ted’s, their noses nudging together before he tilts his head to get a better angle. It feels different, kissing like this with Bill on top of him, touching all over. Part of it is just feeling Bill’s heart pick up the same way his does - but part of it is being able to wrap an arm around Bill’s shoulders and hold him even closer, leaning up to kiss back, and feeling the heat of their kiss through his whole body, down to his toes.</p><p>The wet sounds of their mouths while their lips part and press sound loud even with the movie still playing in the background. That starts to fall away anyways, as Bill nudges his fingertips up under the hem of Ted’s shirt, edging along the skin just above his waistband. Ted shivers at the feeling and holds Bill even tighter, kisses him harder, tongue pushing into his mouth.</p><p>Ted groans against Bill’s lips, and shifts his legs restlessly against the couch, and Bill finally pushes up onto his hands to pull back.</p><p>For a moment, Ted just looks up at him in the flickering light of the screen, both of them dazed from kissing. Bill’s mouth is pink again now, and a little bit raw, and his eyes are dark where his pupils have gone all big. He blinks, and glances down at Ted’s mouth, and sighs. “We should probably - stop there, right? For the first date.”</p><p>“That makes sense,” Ted agrees with a nod. Still, he brushes his hand up and down Bill’s back again, and rucks up his shirt a little in the process, so his fingertips just brush against the lower part of Bill’s back.</p><p>“Unless - you wanna keep kissing, dude,” Bill says quietly, his eyes falling back to Ted’s mouth.</p><p>Ted bites his lip, and watches Bill watching him, and pushes his hand up under Bill’s shirt properly, pressed against his hip. “I kind of - want to. If you want to. I mean I-” He flushes, embarrassed by his own thought, but it doesn’t stop him from saying it. “I think the rules are a little different when we live together, dude. Cause if we like - I mean I guess we could take turns in the bathroom or something but otherwise we like - sleep in the same room, you know?”</p><p>Bill’s eyes snap back up to Ted’s, and he gets all pink in the face. “You mean like-”</p><p>“I mean we don’t have to,” Ted adds, petting over the small of Bill’s back, then a little further up. “If you don’t want to do anything, Bill, we don’t have to.”</p><p>“I know that, Ted,” Bill says softly, slowly laying back down on top of Ted. “But you - like you’re saying, we’re not - if we both needed to jerk off before bed-”</p><p>Nodding, Ted shrugs one shoulder. “Yeah, like - I know we don’t talk about it but - sometimes I hear you.”</p><p>“Yeah, me, too,” Bill says, and he falls forward to press a quick kiss against Ted’s mouth again. “I didn’t mean to listen, it’s just - the room’s so small, dude. And sometimes I’m still awake.”</p><p>“It’s okay, dude, I get it,” Ted tells him, spreading his legs on either side of Bill’s, so they can both get a little more comfortable. “I try to do it in the shower, but sometimes I can’t. And - I never meant to. But it-” Ted gets warm again, and shifts to press his cheek to Bill’s shoulder. “You sound really good. Sometimes I couldn’t stop myself.”</p><p>Bill groans, and presses a hand against Ted’s face to pull him into another kiss. As he settles on top of Ted again, their bodies all pressed together - Ted can feel where he’s starting to chub up, the shape of him in his pajama pants, pressed against Ted’s hip. It makes Ted clutch at his back, and his shirt, and the back of his head, his arousal edging into something urgent as it tangles with the all-over warmth he was already feeling.</p><p>By now, the apartment is quiet, the movie long-since over and forgotten, and Ted hooks his leg around Bill’s to push his own hips up and chase the feeling of their bodies rubbing against each other.</p><p>His own cock presses up against Bill’s thigh, and Ted moans with it, hips jerking as he twitches and starts to get hard.</p><p>“Ted, are you sure?” Bill pants out, his mouth dragging over Ted’s cheek, down to his jaw.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure, please, Bill,” he answers, letting one hand settle back at the small of Bill’s back, over the space he’d been staring at when the night began, using that to make it easier as their hips roll against each other. The longer they press against each other, the more Ted can feel where their cocks trapped between them, still tucked in their pajamas.</p><p>“Dude I wanna - wanna touch you so bad,” Bill murmurs in his ear. “Not tonight cause we just gotta cool off to go to bed and I wanna help you but - once we’ve been on another date, or two, I wanna - I wanna touch you so bad. Wanna get my hand around you, or taste you, I bet you taste so good-” Bill pants out, trailing into a whine.</p><p>Ted throws his head back, and Bill leans down to lick and bite at the hollow of his throat, and Ted cries out in response, thrusting his hips against Bill’s leg even harder and faster. “I wanna taste you, too. Wanna touch you. Think about it all the time, dude, about - kissing you and feeling you and how you’d sound. I wanna make you feel good, Bill. I wanna take care of you.”</p><p>His fingers slip against Bill’s back, where they’re both starting to sweat, and Bill shudders over him and grunts. “I never wanna stop kissing you, Ted. Never wanna stop touching you. We can do anything, dude, whatever makes you feel good, anything, Ted.”</p><p>“Just you, dude,” Ted moans, burying his face in Bill’s hair, nuzzling into it with a sigh as he tries to keep up the rhythm of his hips. “Just want you.”</p><p>With one more hard thrust against Ted’s hip, Bill tenses up, moans out loud, and tries to muffle it against Ted’s collarbone. He presses his open mouth there, panting, and kisses a line across Ted’s skin, breathing heavily enough that Ted can still feel it.</p><p>Slowly, Ted realizes he can feel the damp press of Bill’s pajamas against his stomach, just over his waistband, and he shivers. He thrusts up again, and whines. “Bill, please.”</p><p>“I got you, dude,” Bill says, and he nudges his thigh up against Ted’s cock, rubbing over him. “Come on, Ted. Wanna hear you - when you know I’m listening.”</p><p>That one sentence makes Ted so desperate again he can feel himself twitch, and he presses his legs back together on either side of Bill’s, hooking one heel behind Bill’s ankle and rocking up as he tries to get back into a rhythm. He thinks about the handful of times he’s jerked off in the bedroom and thought maybe Bill wasn’t asleep yet, and now thinks about them again with the knowledge that Bill was listening, and just pretending not to. He whimpers, and tangles his fingers in Bill’s hair, and tugs, and then he’s coming, too, pleasure washing over him, blocking out everything but Bill’s warmth and the weight of his body and the press of his hands.</p><p>When he opens his eyes, Bill is still on top of him, heavy and warm, and now even more relaxed. He has one hand resting up by Ted’s head, fingers in his hair, and the other one is pressed up under the hem of Ted’s shirt, callused fingers brushing the skin of his hip.</p><p>Ted wiggles, just a little, and turns to nudge his nose against Bill’s temple. “That was - good, right?”</p><p>Bill laughs, and kisses at Ted’s neck, just a smudge of damp mouth and warm breath. “It was really really good, dude. After our third date - dude, it’s gonna be transcendent.”</p><p>He presses his own giggle into Bill’s curls, and then kisses him there, too. “I think so, too, Bill. I can’t wait.”</p><p>“We should go on another date tomorrow,” Bill suggests. “We can go to the beach, maybe. Or actually go to the movies.”</p><p>“And then Sunday we could go get like - lunch takeout. And then we’d have the whole night off.”</p><p>“Most excellent plan, Ted.” Bill says - but he trails off into a yawn.</p><p>Ted’s own eyes flutter shut, and he hums. “I guess you should - walk me to bed soon, right?” He mutters.</p><p>“Mm, just as soon as we get up, dude.”</p><p>“Perfect end to a perfect date, dude,” Ted tells him quietly - and even as his pajama pants start to get a little sticky, and Bill’s breathing starts to even out on top of him, Ted means it. He can’t imagine a better way to end Valentine’s Day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HELLO AND HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!! i hope you enjoyed my silly little miscommunication fic. i had a lot of fun writing it and getting something out for the holiday. next up on my schedule i SWEAR!!! is chapter 2 of hallmark which is already very much in progress, then after that, WHO KNOWS!!!</p><p>i hope you enjoyed this, though, and if you did, feel free to let me know, here or on twitter @eddykaspbraks.</p><p>i'd also like to say here, as much as anywhere - this fic officially puts me over 200k words written for bill and ted and while that's not the most i've ever written for any fandom, it's getting pretty damn close. so THANK YOU to everyone who's read my fics and said lovely things, and especially to all the friends i've made writing about these two california valley boys. i'm so happy to have a new fandom i love so much and it means the world to me. thanks again!!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>